Textile fabric and method of making the same



Sept. 3, 1929. P. s. SMITH 1,726,634

TEXTILE FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 17. 1925 INVENTQR Paa Smz'h ATTORNEY Parental sept. 3,1929.

uNrrlaznl STATES llm'rlzrrrl oFFleE.

`PAUL S. SHITH, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,- T -OBYX `FABRICS CORPORATION, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0l' DELAWARE Application med' April 17; 1925. semi No. 23,774.

This invention relates to a fabric and to 4and to secure anchoragesof the fibrous materials in the base which aremarkedly firm and resistant to strain and wear. The invention also relates to Ia needled textile having a fabric base which is particularly resistant to' the destructive or tearing actions of thel needles in the needling operations.

In needled fabrics into which the fibrous materials are needled, as heretofore made, the base has been formed lof lightly ytwisted or untwisted single strand yarn woven in a loosely Woven structure, such as that of burlap. When a bat lof fibrous material is placed on a fabric of this type, and needled therethrough, the needleshave a tendency to.

penetrate through the body of the threads grate or separate the threads. This destructive action on the fabric base imposes a limitation on the number of times the fabric may be needled, the number of needling operations being ordinarily limited to two or three, a larger number of needling operations weakening the fabric to too great an extent for practical purposes. The quantity of fibrous material which may be incorporated into the fabric and thoroughly needled therein is correspondingly limited to an extent that prevents any desired results'from being obtained, such as may be obtained by from four to six or more needling operations.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 743,960, filed October 16, 1924, I have described a fabric and a process for making the same in which a base fabric is utilized, such as burlap, through which fibres of another material, such as wool, are punched by a needle machine operation, these libres being anchored to the base-by a cementitious material which is applied to the side of thevbase fabric from which the fibres are needled. A fabric of this type has many advantages in cheapness of construction and in durability, and in particular uses such as for headlining and body cloth and in the present applicaof the -fabric and thus to tear and-disintetion I have-incorporated the essential features of the copending case together with certain improvements.advantageous in such uses as rugs, carpets and the like.

An object of my present invention is to provide a fabric having fibrous materials needled-therein and having a fabric base for supporting and anchoring the fibrous materials vwhich is especially resistant tothe destructive action of the needles.

Anotherlimportant object of the invention is to provide a fabric of sufficient bod and havingfibres needled therein in such manner as to make the fabric suitable for rugs, carpets and the like, wherein the requirements of stiffness, maximum durability and cheapness of construction are of pronounced importance.

Another i object of the invention is to provide a fabric having a Woven base and a mixture of fibrous materials secured andanchored therein and 'forming thereon a fibrous surface of a mottled or variegated appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of needling and anchorino' into a fabric base fibres of two or more di erent types or characteristics, or applied 1n separate bats, in such a manner as to produce a variety of desired color effects or textures and to secure a tenacious and a strong anchorage of the fibres to the base.

Other objects and features of the invention are: to provide a needled fabric having a supporting base formed of threads of tightly twisted strands which are resistant to the penetration of the needles; to provide a fabric having a fabric base into which are needled, from opposite sides, bats of fibrous materials to cause an intermixture of construction used in the present invention,

a thread 4of the fabric being shown pulled' apart from the fabric and separated to show 1ts construction;

Figure 2 is a view simliar to that of Figure 1 but showin a bat of fibrous material placed on the fa ric base in position to be needled therethrough;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 showing the bat of fibrous material needled through the fabric base;

Figure 4 is a view showing the needled bat and fabric in inverted position to that of Figure 3 and having a hat of hair placed on the uppermost or inverted surface of the fabric in position to be needled therethrough from the direction op osite to that employed for the previous neerlfling operation;

Figure 5 is a view of the fabric showin the hair needled through the fabricl an fibrous layer;

Figure 6 is a view showinoP the fabric in the same position as that of Figure 5 but having a cementing com osition applied to the inverted upper sur ace to anchor the needled fibres;

Figure 7 is a view of the finished fabric in its normal position with the cemented surface on the lower side and the upper or finished side sheared smooth; and

Figure 8 is a view of a reinforced fabric.

In m present invention, I preferably use as a fabric base awoven fabric, known as press cloth, the threads of which are formed of two or more strands tightly twisted together to form a hard, compact thread of high tensile strength which resists penetration by the needles and tends t0 cause a relative deflection between the threads and needles and thus causes the needles to pass through the interstices between the threads rather than through the threads themselves. These threads may be formed of any desired textile materials and woven in al manner suited to the finish effects desired, being preferably woven to a somewhat loose, coarse structure, somewhat similar to that of burlap and by the term press cloth as employed in the annexed claims is meant a leo material of this description. On the uppermost surface of the fabric, there is placed a bat of fibrous material, such as jute or wool, which is then needled through the interstices of the fabric by a succession of needling operations, the fibres of the bat beine thus incorporated in the base and pushed therethrough and fel'ted to securely anchor it to the base. The fabric and the needled bat and then inverted to bring the bat side undermost and a separate bat of fibrous material, such as hair, is then placed on the upper surface and needled throu h the fabric and through the bat of wool, jute or other fibrous material, previously needled from the opposite or inverted side, the fibres of the two bats intermingling by the needling operation. By using bats ofV fibres of different colors or characteristics, a variegated o1' mottled surface may be obtained.

In cases where greater body is desired in the finished fabric, a third bat of fibres may be applied to that side of the fabric opposite to that on which the second bat was placed so that on the one side of the fabric there is a layer of jute, for example, and on the other side alrst layer of jute and then a layer 0f hair, for eachlayer there being portions of the same needled or otherwise pushed through the base fabric to the other side. In the last mentioned construction, the fibres of hair penetrate the adjacent layer of jute, the base fabric and the opposite layer of jute and lextend sufficiently beyond the last layer mentioned to constitute a fibrous upper finish for the completed fabric, as shown in Figure 8.

A plastic or cement'itious material is then applied to the side from which the second or hair bat has been needled and is then worked into the fabric to the desired degree, penetrating the bat and base. The fabric is then calendcred to consolidate the fibres and cured. The opposite or side may then be sheared and pressed o'r otherwise finished. 5'

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, a base fabric 1() is shown as constructed of threads 12 woven in the fabric to form interstices 14 and having a substantially square weave. rIfhe threads 12 are formed of a number of tightly twisted strands 16, 18 and 20, three strands being shown by way of example, although threads having from two to upwards of six may be used depending on the fabric desired. The strands of the threads 12 are twisted sufficiently tight to form very dense compact threads which offer sufficient re- 'cause a relative displacement between the threads and needles when the needles strike the surfaces of the threads at an angle and to thus cause the needles to pass throuvh the interstices 14, rather than through the thread bodies.

The threads may be formed of any desired textile material, such as cotton, jute orvarious other fibres, jute being particularly desirable in the interest of cheapness and strength where a heavy carpet-like fabric is desired. The size of the thread and closeness of weaving may be varied to suit the requirements ofv a desired fabric but a size of thread and a type of weaving similar to that of ordinary burlap is particularly desirable for the production of a strong, heavy product.

A bat 22 of fibrous material, which may be either wool or jute or any other fibre of which it is desired to form the surface of the material, is placed on the upper surface sistance to the passage of the needles to the i'nterstices 14 of the fabric base 10 ample, a bat of hair such as oat hair,

24 of the fabric base10. Fibres are then forged from this bat downwardly through means of needles 26 which make several passages through the fabric, two or more needling operations being preferred to secure the desired peneration of the fibres through the fabric base. Thefabric baseand bat of needled' materials is then inverted, bringing the bat 22 and surface 24 to an under position and bringing the former' under surface 28 to the to or upper side of the fabric. A bat 30 of'figrous material which may be of different color or texturel or characteristic from that of \the bat 22 is then placed on the surface 28. For exwhich has desirable qualities of stiffness and durability or alternatively stiff lwool or cattle hair, or lother fibrous material which it is desired to incorporate in the finished surface, may be employed. Fibres of this b'at are then forced by the needles 26 through the interstices 14 and through the bat 22,

thereby mingling with the fibres of the bat 22 to produce the desired mottling effect or the other characteristics which it is desired to impart to the finished surface, This needling operation may be repeated as often as desired to secure the required fineness of mixture and thorough anchorage of the fibres, the tightness of twist of the threads of the Abase fabric permitting .from six to eight needling operations without appreciable disintegration or'weakening of the basel fabric. This manner of needling the mate-v rial from both sides of the-base fabric also enables the fibres to be thoroughly lfelted on` both sides of and through the fabric and to be securely incorporated and anchored to the base.

l/Vhere greater body is desired prior to the application of the hair bat, a second layer 50 ofjute or other similar fibrous material vlayer on the opposite side of the base fabric and constituting' the finish surface of the completed fabric.

An impregnating cement 32 is then applied to the fibrous material 30 on the hair side`28 of the fabric base and forced by processes of impregnation or mangling or other means into the fabric which is then dried, calendered and cured. 4Any suitable type of cementing or plastic composition may be employed for this purpose, such as a solution or composition of rubber or may be applied to that side of the` base fabric opposite to` that to which the other bat and the base fabric, and serves to secure the felted fibres on the hair side' to or` other type of cementing be preferred. This ce-A each other and to further anchor them and securethem to the fabric. The reversed or finished -side of the fabric may then be sheared and otherwise finished to obtain a desired finished effect.

`When fibres of different colors are ern*- ployed indifferent bats, the pro'ecting fibres or hairs on the finished side pro uce a greyed or mottled effect due to small groups of fibres of one color and texture rojecting through a body or ba't of fibres ofP color. ln this manner, also, fibres of greater' wearing ualities may be incorporated with readily elting fibres of poorer wearing qualities to obtain the desirable charac* teristics of both fibres. Moreover, the backing of the cementing material, in addition to securing the fibres, serves to give the material greater stiffness and to .resist sliding when the article is used as rugs or floor coverings.

As changes of construction could be made within the scope of the invention, it is desired that the details of the above description and accompanying drawing be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having I claim as new and desire tosecure ters Patent is: j

1. A ile fabric which comprises a base fabric ormed of tightly twisted threads adapted to permit repeated needling without causing substantial injury to the said base fabric, and fibrous material needled through the interstices between the threads of the said base fabric, and projecting therefrom to produce a pile surface.

2. A pile'fabric which comprises a base fabric formed of tightly twisted threads .containing two or more strands tightly twisted together and4 a bat of fibrous material needled through the interstices between the threads of the said base fabric and projecting therefrom to produce a pile surface, the bat being held in place by a cementing composition.

3. A pileV fabric which comprises a base fabric formed of tightly twisted threads composed of two or more strands of jute fibres, and a bat, of fibrous material needled through the interstices between the threads of the said base fabric in amounts to form a high density pile fabric, said fibres being held in place by an anchoring cement on the side of the base fabric opposite to that of the pile surface.

4. A pile fabric which comprises a base fabric formed of tightly twisted threads the other adapted to permit repeated needling through the fabric without Vcausing substantial 1njury thereto, a fibrous materlal needled through said fabric base from one side thereof, a fibrous material of different characteristics needled throu h the said fabric base from the opposite si e thereof and rojecting therefrom to form a pile sur ace,

and a cementing composition on the side of the said base bric from which the last named fibrous material was projected..

5. A pile fabric which com rises a base fabric composed of threads ormed 0f a plurality of tightly twisted strands to permit needling through the interstices between the threads without injuringthe base fabric, a bat of fibrous materials needled through the said fabric from one side thereof and projecting from the base fabrlc to form a pile surface, a bat of different fibres needled through the said fabric from theopposite side thereof, and an anchoring cementitious composition on one side of said base fabric servin to attach the fibres to the said base fabric, said needled through fibres forming upstanding pile on the other side thereof.

6. A fabric comprising. a base fabric, a layer of fibrous material on one side of said base` fabric and having portions thereof needled through the fabric, a layer of fibrous material on the other side of the base fabric and having portions of the l fibrous material needled through the base fabric, and cementitious material anchoring said last named brous layer and fibres in said base fabric. l

7 A pile fabric comprising a base fabric,

, a layer of jute fibres applied to one surface thereof and having portions of the jute fibres needled therethrough, a layer of hair applied to the other side of the base fabric and havin portions thereof needled through the base abrio and the jute layer on the other side of the base fabric, and means for anchoring the hair in the interstices thereof.

8. A pile fabric comprising a base fabric,

' a layer of jute fibres applied to one surface jute thereof andl having 'portions of the jute fibres needled therethrough, a layer of hair applied to the other side of the base fabric and having portions thereof needled through the base fabric and the jute layer on-the other side of the base fabric, and means for anchoring the hair in the interstices of the fabric, the fibres of hair needled through the fabric extendin beyond the a er and forming a firous surface above t e jute layer. 9. A pile fabric having a base fabric, a

layer of fibrous material on one side thereof having a portionneedled through the base fabric, alplurality .of layers of fibrous ma- "terial on the other .side of. .the base fabric,

each of said layers having portions needled through the base fabric, and cementitious material applied'only to that side of Vthe base fabric on which the plural layers are positioned for anchoring said layers and libres to the base fabric.

10. A pile fabric comprising a base fabric, a layer of jute fibres-on one side/of the base fabric having portions pushed through thel base fabric to the other side thereof, a layer 'of hair on the side of the base fabric other than that to which the jute layer is applied, and cementitious material on the hair side of the base fabric, binding the base fabric to the hair layer, portions of jute fibresbeing pushed through from the opposite side.

11'. A pile fabric com rising a layer ofv press cloth and a plura ity of fibres, said fibres being needled transversely through the intcrstices of the .press cloth without causing substantial injury thereto and being anchored therein.

12.' A pile fabric comprising-a press cloth base, a layer of fibres positioned on one face of the base and having fibres thereof needled through thebase without substantial injury thereto and extending on the other side thereof, and anchored to the base by means of adhesive material leaving portions of the attachedfibres free.

13. A textile fabric comprising a base ,side of the base fabric having fibrous Vportions thereof pushed through thebase, and means for anchoring said fibrous layers and base penetrating fibres in said base, said means including a layer of fibrous material on the side of the base fabric opposite to that .of the plural layers, said last named layer having fibres thereof pushed through the base fabric and into said plural layers, and cementitious material uniting the plural layers and the fibres extending from the layer on the opposite side of the base fabric to each other and with the base fabric.

In testimony whereof, I affix 'my signature.

PAUL s. SMITH.

v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,725,634. y Granted September 3, 1929, to

PAUL S. SMITH.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 58, for the word "and" read "are";page 3, line 7, for themisspelled wordv"pen'eration" read "penetration"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to'the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of October, A. D. 1929.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

